Kyle and I had a bit of a stumbling block last month when we found out in church that the priest we had been working with on our wedding at St. Louis Bertrand was being transferred to Rhode Island.  And we were having trouble getting a hold of him, so we weren’t really sure if anyone else at the church knew we were getting married there.  After a few calls, I found out who I should talk to, but then I had trouble getting a hold of him.  I panicked a bit, especially when we hit the 6-month mark and I still hadn’t been able to talk to anyone at the church.  I talked to Fr. Pat, and he assured me it would all be okay, and if I didn’t get in touch with someone soon, he would give them a call and see what he could find out.   Soon after I talked to Fr. Pat, I did hear back from the new priest, and we got a meeting set up.  That meeting was today, and Kyle and I still scheduled to get married December 31, 2009.

This priest has been at the church longer and seemed to be more in the know about the details with having the wedding there.  We got information on preparation, and we’re mailing out a registration form for that tomorrow.  And we got a book on planning a wedding service in a Catholic church without having the Mass.  We got names for who we should talk to about financial info and building details.

There might be some complications with the reception hall, having to do with security and making sure a person on staff is there on New Year’s Eve, but we were assured that we would get it worked out since we’re already committed (and who knows if anywhere else in the city is available for a wedding reception on New Year’s Eve less than six months in advance?).

Then we just chatted a bit and got to know our new contact in the church.  I feel much more comfortable now, knowing someone else in the church knows about us.  The wedding will go on, and  it will even happen where we said it would.  Yay!

Many of you already know about the changes happening in the office of Advancement. Others have heard me share the challenges that come with being a fundraiser in the current economy. It had recently become apparent that I would be unable to continue in my position which I held for 2 years. As of Wednesday, June 24th I no longer work for my alma mater.

While the decisions that led to my current state were, at the very least, disappointing, I will always be a vocal proponent of all things red and black, and thank the University for the opportunities it has given me over the past two years. I have met entrepreneurs who have created wealth from merely an idea of what they wanted to accomplish, and the determination to see their work to its conclusion. I have worked beside brilliant academics, recognized experts in their field, who are called all over the planet to speak to people who think an hour listening to them will make them a better person. I have met students whose lives have been radically changed by education and philanthropy. Students short on both income and knowledge of business have been turned into industry leaders by our College, supported by its donors. Those who know me well know that I was never exaggerating when I referred to my work as “inspirational.”

I have learned a great deal over the past 2 years about who I was, and who I wanted to become. I will miss my former colleagues but enjoy knowing they are diligently doing some of the most important work on this planet. Caitlan and I have some major decisions to make about the course of our lives, and we appreciate the support of our family and friends as we deal with these sudden changes.

Thank you all,

Kyle

We sent our engagement announcement to the Richmond Register this week. So we think it will be in the Sunday paper either this Sunday or next. If you’re in Richmond, you should pick one up and look for it. And if it’s in there, you should buy one for my mom, and maybe for us too. It’s supposed to have a color picture too. Obviously if you’re reading this, it won’t have any new info that you don’t already know. But it should still be cool. Yay!!

It’s been a long time since we’ve written on here. Got a little sidetracked with the moving and unpacking. I’ve taken the day off work to try to finish unpacking and catch up on wedding stuff.

On the weekend of May 15, my mom and Kyle’s parents came up to Louisville, and we rented a U-haul. Kyle friends came over and helped too. And we got all the big stuff moved from Kyle’s and my place. We got everything out of Kyle’s place and got it cleaned. And since we had the U-haul, we went ahead and moved most stuff out of my place. The last weekend in June is the last weekend I’ll have at my old place, so we’ll be cleaning there and moving the last few things (including Christi’s couches, which we found out later that she didn’t want). So if you’re free the last weekend in June, let us know!

We really like our new place. It looks over 3rd and Broadway, and I can walk to work in 15 minutes. And last weekend we just went up to Miss Alice’s and made a dinner table and a shelf for our “recycling center.” Once we have some free time, we would like to have a little apartment-warming party, and invite people over to see it when it’s all unpacked and clean. So we’ll let you know. That’s about it for moving. I’m hoping to get a lot done today, so I might be writing another blog entry too. Getting back on track!

We have decided on our caterer, and we are going to have Chardeau’s do our wedding. Michelle, the caterer, has been very helpful to us, even coming to look at the reception hall, and she has worked hard to keep us within our budget. The food is very good, and she will also sort of serve as a day-of coordinator, which will be nice. We think she will be great to work with, and we’re excited to have this decision made. We’ve put down a deposit. Now we just have to sign the contract and give her an estimated number of people who will be at the reception. Yay!

Now that Kyle finally got his post up about our soon to be new home, we’ve also decided on when we’re moving. So if you just have this longing to help lift and carry heavy boxes, come on out. It’ll be fun. We’re moving Kyle on May 16. We’ll be cleaning his apartment (as long as his landlady still has money to give him back his deposit) on May 17. His last day there is May 18.

We will be moving me on June 20. I have more big stuff, so if you want to help but only want to help one day, June 20 would be awesome. My lease isn’t up until June 30, so we don’t know if we’ll be cleaning my apartment out right away or not. But mark your calendars. We’ll provide food if you come. And we’ll love you forever!

Caitlan  and I both have a thing for old buildings.  Very few new buildings have the same character and charm that the older structures have.  We have been blessed to be living among the largest collection of Victorian Era homes in the world. In addition, our neighborhood features the highest concentration of stained glass in a residential neighborhood in America.  I could brag on for a few thousand lines, but I’ll just give you some reading material for those of you who are interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Louisville

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James-Belgravia_Historic_District

Along with all this history, beauty, and character, comes other, less desirable, traits.  Our pipes have frozen repeatedly.  I’m not just talking about the ice storm, but any time the temperature drops below 30 degrees, and there seems to be little we can do about it.  We could let the water run, but because all of the drains are slow we would flood our apartments in the night if we attempted that. During the ice storm, we were one of the first to lose power and among the last to have it turned back on.  Even then, my landlady refused to come out and turn our water on so I was crawling around in the cellar looking for the right lever to flip.  My paint is peeling, which is bad, because it’s lead paint and over my bed. Most recently a leak has developed in my room that threatens the necessary aridity of my computer.  Once again, I could write a book on these problems but I will spare you.

So what do we do, when we love the history an old home can provide, but do not want to deal with the added stresses?  We move into a renovated and repurposed old building!  After Derby this year Caitlan and I will move into St. Francis Apartments on the corner of 3rd and Broadway! There really isn’t a good site to tell you about this building, and I’ve been slowly piecing the history together, so you’re going to have to deal with my abbreviated story of how St. Francis came to be.

The building was constructed in 1913 by the YMCA. It housed living quarters, a gymnasium, several Presbyterian ministers on staff, and one of Louisville’s earliest basketball courts (the first being the previous location of the YMCA at Chestnut and Walnut streets). The YMCA was located there until it moved a block away to a new building on second street, where it remains today. The building has seen almost 100 years of activity in the city. In 1926 the court was home to the first home basketball game between the University of Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky (State College) Wildcats. Cards won 26-15.

In 1977 St. Francis High School moved into the building, founding an urban “coeducational, independent, interdenominational college preparatory high school.” The school officially bought the building in 1999 and began an ambitious building campaign. The building is split down the middle with the High School on one side, and residential units on the other. Caitlan and I will be moving into a corner unit on the 6th floor and will have windows overlooking both 3rd street and Broadway.

The proximity to the river, Caitlan’s office, the new downtown arena, and UofL’s campus make this a great location. Caitlan and I are excited to make this our first home together.

So before we considered New Year’s Eve as a possible date, we called caterers, photographers, musicians, and reception venues to make sure it wouldn’t be a whole lot more expensive and that they would be available and willing to work on a holiday. No problems there. Then we put the day up to a vote, and of course, you all know what happened there. Then Kyle and I actually looked at the dates and made the final decision. So everything is still going according to plan, but we did hit a little bump in the road with our New Year’s Eve plans. We forgot to consult a couple very important people to having our wedding that day: the priests. We did ask about the church availability, and it was available, though the next day is a holy day of obligation. No big deal, we thought. However, we got an e-mail a little while ago that informed us there would also be a vigil service for the next day, at 5:15 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. So we can’t get into the church until 7, and possibly not at all before the service, which means we can’t take many pictures before the wedding, unless we push the wedding later, which is probably what we’re doing. So it’s definitely an evening affair, one that probably won’t start until 8 or later. Yes, you want to eat dinner beforehand.

The bigger possible problem was the priests. We had wanted my childhood priest, Fr. Pat, to be involved, but he is now at a church in London, KY. Not exactly close to Louisville. And he has Masses for New Year’s Day, and possibly a vigil on New Year’s Eve. Fr. Cuddy, who has been helping us reserve the church, etc., we thought could also be involved, but he has a tradition of going home to Boston for New Year’s. Not exactly close to Louisville either. So we found ourselves in a dilemma. Of course, there’s a priory right next door to our church, so there would be plenty of priests who could probably marry us, but none with whom we had a personal connection.

But why am I writing about this now? Just to complain about my problems? No. Fr. Pat called me a few nights ago and said he would like to commit to having our wedding on New Year’s Eve this year in Louisville. He’s going to drive up on the Wednesday before for the rehearsal, and then he’ll stay here and be here for the wedding on Thursday. He said he’s been through a lot of stages in my life – he was my priest at my confirmation, he married my mom and Joe, he said Joe’s funeral. So he’s seen and been with my family at its best and worst, its happiest and saddest. And he said he would enjoy being able to be a part of this phase of my life too. So we have a priest! And one who will really know me, and will get to know Kyle and will make it a more personal day for us. We’re very excited. We’re hoping that Fr. Cuddy will still be willing and able to help us with our preparation before the wedding, and if he is able to be involved on the wedding day as well, that will be great too. So far, things keep falling into place!

We met with our photographer yesterday evening to discuss packages, and now we have to decide what we want versus what we can afford. We do get to take advantage of a sale because we booked in February, but it will still be expensive. However, we are saving on other aspects of the wedding, and lots of people have told us it’s worth it to spend the money on photography.

It’s really just this book that we want. He does it through GraphiStudio. And it looks really cool, and it would be a great keepsake of the wedding. We asked about getting the book with the lowest package, but he said, after the work he puts into it, it wouldn’t be much cheaper than just going with the second package. So we’re thinking about doing that. The second package also comes with an engagement or bridal session with prints and travelling expenses. We don’t think we need an engagement session, so he said he could comp that with more enlargements, which he would do for the traveling expenses as well. Although now we’re considering a bridal session since none of our pictures will really be taken in daylight, and it might be nice to have some daylight wedding pictures.

Lastly, he offered that we could put our package as part of our registry, so people could put money towards it for us, but we’re not sure if we want to do that because we need other things from our registry. So there’s a lot to think about, but at least right now, Kyle and I agree on what we like and what we’re leaning toward. We just have to make a decision. So we’ll see. It was exciting to meet with him though, and to see his work again. We think he’ll do a great job.

We also have some other exciting news, about which Kyle is supposed to be putting up an entry (he has it started, just can’t seem to finish it), so stay tuned!

And we delivered.  There are now some words to read on our page about the couple.  Yay for progress!